Golden

ten

"Got you, fucker."

Ian was forcefully slammed to the ground by Finn who quickly got on his back with a smug grin. The blonde was laughing through his pain as Finn twisted his arms behind his back, tears forming in his eyes.

"Get off, fatass! Your insurance doesn't cover this," Ian stated, laughing when Finn's arms wrapped around his body from behind and pulled him to his feet - or rather even further, because he didn't let Ian's feet touch the ground as he pressed him against his chest.

"Admit you stole my Snickers," Finn growled, his faked annoyance making it hard for Ian to contain his laughter.

"Never."

While Finn tackled him to the ground once more the other guys just watched them, already used to their constant play-fights. They had just returned from dinner and were now lounging in their floor's common room, stretched out on the couches and armchairs. The coach had called off today's training, so the swim team was left to deal with immense boredom.

Coby and Gretchen were stretched out on one of the smaller couches, the girl scrolling through her phone while Coby played with her hair. Noah glanced at them before turning his attention back to Ian, who had somehow managed to turn their positions around and tackle Finn to the floor.

Coby said something to Gretchen before carefully pushing her off his chest and leaving the common room. Noah took his chance to sit down next to her, smiling when she met his gaze.

"Hey," she greeted, mirroring his smile. "Coby only went to the bathroom."

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask you something." Noah glanced at the others to check that nobody was paying any attention to them. "About Ian."

The slightest hint of annoyance entered Gretchen's face, but her smile didn't change. "I guess you can ask. We're not close anymore, though."

Noah shrugged and took his time so he wouldn't look as invested as he was. "You broke up with him?"

"Well, yeah." Gretchen hesitated, running a hand through her hair. "We were dating for eight months, and I really liked Ian, he's a sweet guy. But it wasn't what I wanted."

"Because you wanted Coby," Noah stated, glancing at Ian's slender arms wrapped around Finn's neck. Ian couldn't be more different from Coby; it was hard to imagine why Gretchen had even bothered with him when Coby was so obviously her type.

The girl sighed. "I know what you think. They don't really have anything in common, and that's the point. Ian and I were fourteen, fifteen, I was young and in love with the idea of dating my best friend. But that's all Ian ever was." A soft smile came to rest on her lips. "I thought it was love, but Ian was always just a friend to me."

"Did you get with Coby while still dating Ian?" Noah asked, watching as Gretchen's smile fell.

"You don't get to judge me. You don't know me like that, Noah."

"I'm not judging anyone," he stated calmly, crossing his arms behind his head. "I was just wondering about you two. That's all."

Gretchen bit her lip as she glanced at him from the side. "I know you and Ian don't get along. Please don't use what I told you against him, that's a shitty thing. He doesn't deserve that."

They watched as Finn picked up a violently laughing Ian and threw him over his shoulder, ignoring Ian's cries of protest as he carried him out of the room.

"Is there anything between them, too?" Noah surprised himself by asking, and he slightly tensed up, wondering if he had gone too far. But Gretchen just let out a dry laugh.